Month of the Freezing Moon: Pimihamowi-pîsim (October news!)

Tâns’i n’totemtik (Hello friends!) I’m really making up for a lack of summer content here! I decided to jump right in to the events for October because…well, there is JUST SO MUCH HAPPENING! We are really very lucky to live in a place like Ottawa where Indigenous arts and culture thrives and jives its way right across the city. First up, there are some seriously deadly new walks coming up and I hope you can make it out for one. I might be biased but I think you’d be missing out if you didn’t get to catch at least one of these walks.

NEW WALKS

Parliament Hill Tour

I’m pretty excited about this tour because it’s a walk that starts at the Centennial Flame on Parliament Hill and examines architecture, monuments and landscape through an Indigenous lens. For instance, we’ll stop at the Persons Monument and focus on Indigenous people and voting in Canada. I’ll explore the relationship that our past Prime Ministers had with Indigenous people in Canada and together we can search for hidden architecture of Indigenous imagery built right in to the Parliament buildings. Make sure to check the schedule regularily for updates. To register email jaime@indigenouswalks.com. We meet at the Centennial Flame on Parliament Hill.

September 28 @ 5pm-7pm

October 12 @ 2pm-4pm

October 28 @ 5:30pm-7:30pm

Kostâciwin: A Scary Special

Join me for a unique tour filled with tales of life, death and just plain creepy stories that come from Indigenous peoples! It’ll be sure to leave your hair raised by the end of the tour! We will meet in the middle of Confederation Park at the Water Fountain. To register, email jaime@indigenouswalks.com. You can check the schedule for dates and times. We meet at the fountain in Confederation Park:

October 22 @ 7pm-9pm

October 25 @ 7pm-9pm

October 30 @ 7pm-9pm

Of course, there are also the walks for beginners that are always going to be available:

Beginner’s Tour

This tour is for individuals who are new learners of Indigenous social, political and culture issues. It is also for individuals who have not seen the Ottawa landscape from an Indigenous artistic perspective through monuments and environmental landscape. We meet at the Human Rights Monument.

October 7 @ 1pm-2pm FREE tour with the City of Ottawa

October 7 @ 5:30pm-7:30pm

October 10 @ 6pm-8pm

EVENTS

October 2 – Exhibition opening: Storytelling opens at the Ottawa School of Art Gallery Downtown Campus. The Ottawa School of Art Byward Market Campus is proud to present the group exhibition Storytelling, a selection of pieces featured in the 2nd edition of the Contemporary Native Art Biennial. The exhibition takes place from September 25 to November 16 at the Ottawa School of Art’s Byward Market Gallery at 35 George Street, Ottawa. Reception: meet the artist takes place on Thursday, October 2 from 5pm to 8pm. All welcome! This group exhibition showcases the art works of Luke Parnell, Merritt Johnson, Tanis Maria S’eiltin, Nadia Myre, and Sonny Assu.

Merritt Johnson, Coyote boy, 2011

October 3 – If you’re interested in a bit of travel, there’s a powerful dance being showcased in Montreal called “Unrelated” by Daina Ashbee. IF you can’t go, you should at least check out the provocative trailers.

October 16 – A talk presented by the Ottawa Chapter of the Ontario Archeological Society called “Inuit Communities and the Reclaiming of Archival Photographs”, by Carol Payne, Associate Professor of Art History, School for Studies in Art and Culture, Carleton University Routhier Community Centre. 7:30 p.m. Free admission.

October 31 – First Nations Hallowe’en Ball at the Glue Pot Pub opens at 9:30pm As more community events come up, I’ll be sure to post them so keep checking back! The Month of the Freezing Moon is always full of surprises!